Essay for Resarch and Writing

ROMANS 11:15 AND THE NEGATIVE JEALOUSYOF ISRAEL Introduction The ecclesiological teachings that Paul gave in Romans 11 to his initial audience are not covered as often as the other theological issues in the chapter. However, a quality theology student can take a small sampling of works on the teachings of Romans 11 and create an essay that covers some of the ecclesiological guidance Paul gave to his audience. This term paper is an attempt to look at what Paul taught to his original hearers. According to Kyrychenko, Romans 11 is a chapter where “Paul does not offer the Jews a way of salvation apart from faith in Jesus Christ. However, for Paul the salvation of Israel does not consist of conversion from one religion to another, from Judaism to Christianity . . . Paul does not preach a new religion but preaches Christ as the culmination of his Jewish faith.”1 Many theologians who have studied Romans 11 have come to the conclusion that the jealousy of Israel positively leads to the salvation of many Jews during the church age. This belief stems from the fact that Paul tells his readers that he wants his ministry to bring his relatives to jealousy of the Gentiles position in Christ and to bring his Jewish relatives to salvation (Rom 11:15). According to Younce the olive tree illustration points out a bright “hope” for Israel (in light of the jealousy the Gentiles will bring into the equation).2 According to Baxter and Ziesler, the Gentiles bring the Jews of the first century A.D. to covet the Gentile position in God's plan. Then that jealousy turns into salvation by many Jews and eventually the entire nation 1 Alexander Kyrychenko, "The consistency of Romans 9-11." Restoration Quarterly 45, no 4 (2003): 227. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001483995&site=ehost-live(accessed November 24, 2008). 2 Dale Richard Younce “An Exegetical interpretation of the Figure of the Olive Tree of Romans Eleven.” M. Th. Thesis, Central Baptist Theological Seminary(Hereafter CBTS) 1986: 18 Page 2 of Israel.3 According to Annillo, the Gentiles have received salvation to bring the Israelites to jealousy, in order that some Jewish relatives of Paul would be saved. 4 According to Matt Waymeyer, there are basic views on the phrase “all Israel will be saved” in Romans 11:26.5 This information is important for introductory material because these views need to be listed and addressed. According to Waymeyer, “The first view is that the 'all Israel'...equals the church, which is the Israel of God.”6 The second view is that “all Israel” is the saved Jews of the church age7. The third view is that all Jews will be saved at the end of the church age. Some theologians even take the idea of positive jealousy to the extent of national or mass salvation of Israel in the Tribulation. According to Olsen, Israel was going to bring salvation to the Gentiles, but after Christ came the Gentiles were to be saved so that Israel will be saved as a nation.8 Many other theologians have also come to the same conclusion and their views will be expounded upon later. However has this question ever been asked? What kind of jealousy was Paul referring to in Romans 11:15? 3 A G. Baxter, and John A. Ziesler, "Paul and the Arboriculture: Romans 11:17-24," J. St. NT: 25-32 (accessed November 24, 2008) 1985: 28-29. 4 Annillo, George John, “The ‘People of God’ in the Olive Tree of Romans Eleven.” M. Th. Thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1977: 23 5 Matt Waymeyer, "The Dual Status of Israel in Romans 11:28." Master's Seminary Journal 16, no. 1 (Spring):. (accessed December 3, 2008): 2005: 57-71. 6Ibid., 58 7Ibid., Pg. 59 8 Walter P. Olsen, “The Future of Israel According to the Book of Romans.” [Bach. of Div. Thesis, CBTS, 1966], 75 Page 3 The previous question should be asked because there is a different way to look at Romans 11 and the jealousy of Israel. This view simply states that Paul is not teaching about a direct connection between jealousy and the church age salvation of Jews, neither is Paul stating that the jealousy of Israel will lead to mass or national salvation in the Tribulation. To believe that the jealousy of Israel for the Gentiles' position in Christ is an end in itself is a much more defensible view than to see the jealousy of Israel as a means to the end of church age salvation or Tribulation age salvation. Fundamentalists need to find more defensible views and the belief in the negative jealousy of Israel is one of them. Synthesizing the views with the whole of Scripture in mind results in the belief that the salvation of the Gentiles and the ensuing jealousy of the Jews does not necessarily lead to the salvation of national Israel. The text of Romans 11 teaches that Israel's jealousy does not necessarily allow for a later universal national salvation. The first reason to believe this theory is the text of Romans 11 teaches that Israel's jealousy does not necessarily allow for a later universal national salvation. Baker's statement about Romans 11:8 and 15 is a great way to explain the superiority of this view over the traditional view of positive jealousy. For Paul, 'God gave them a spirit of stupor' (Rom11:8 = Deut 29:3 + Isa 29:10) is the divine equivalent of 'salvation has come to the Gentiles with the result that Israel was provoked to jealousy' (Rom 11:11). It is in this light that Paul writes, 'I honor my ministry...that I may provoke to jealousy my flesh and that I may save some from them' (Rom 11:14). As he is faithful to the gospel, the response of Israel will be that the hardened portion of Israel will be made jealous and an elect remnant will be saved.9 9 Murray Baker. "Paul and the salvation of Israel: Paul's ministry, the motif of jealousy, and Israel's yes." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 67, 2005: 476 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001476961&site=ehost-live(accessed November 24, 2008). Page 4 This quote leads a theological student to the acknowledgment that there is a possibility that the text of Romans 11 teaches that Israel's rejection does not necessarily allow for a later universal national salvation. Although Romans 11:11-15 seemingly points to Israel's rejection directly resulting in the addition of the Gentiles and the ultimate result of national or mass salvation for Israel in the last days, positive jealousy may not be so. Instead, Romans 11 teaches jealousy and salvation are separate. As far as the jealousy of Israel is concerned, it may lead to national salvation, but if a scholar considers the expert opinions and ideas of Baker, he will see a totally different point of view that has much more scriptural evidence. According to Baker, “The current view is a contestable rendering of Rom 11:11-15. An implicit connection between the provocation to jealousy and the salvation of Israel has been read back into Rom 11:11-12; however, a reading in which παραζηλόω is not viewed in a positive light (i.e., not as a link to salvation) provides a better fit”10. Later Baker states that jealousy in Romans 11:11 does not have a positive connotation. Rather, Romans 10:19 and 11:11 are both describing destructive envies of another's position (3). According to Baker, Romans 11:14 reads as an explanation of Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. Paul ministered to the Gentiles to irritate his own relatives to the point of salvation and then some relatives, by coveting the Gentiles, will be saved. The remnant motif flows through Romans 11:15 and that must be preserved11. Baker does not believe that Israel's rejection and the Gentile acceptance of the Gospel are congruent reasons that both lead to the salvation of Israel as explained in Romans 11:1512. Das agrees by saying “Nowhere in Romans 11 does Paul connect the salvation of all 10Ibid, 470-471 11Ibid, 471 12 General observation from Baker, “Paul and Salvation of Israel.” Page 5 Israel to Christ's Parousia or second coming. Paul does not even refer to the Parousia of Christ in Romans 9-11”.13 According to Das, Paul considered the prophecies of Isaiah 27:9 and 59:20, as explained in Romans 11:26-27, to be already satisfied by the first coming of Christ14. Neither Das nor Baker sees Israel in a positive light when it comes to the Last Days. When it comes to the last days, a dispensationalist intelligently disagrees with Baker and Das. Although Israel's jealousy is negative it will not result in the total loss of the race, instead God will bring many Jews to faith in Christ in the church age and He will also save the 144,000 in the Tribulation. The 144,000 will be discussed in depth later. Staying close to the point, it is important to note that Baker gives reasons for his view of Romans 11:15. According to him, translating παραζηλόω as a negative jealousy better conforms to the leading verse of Romans 10:19, which began the idea of jealousy in Romans15. According to Baker there are three more reasons why Romans 11:15 is to be taken negatively. First, the view of Israel's jealousy producing their salvation is applied to Romans 11:26 also. But the Redeemer is the agent of salvation when 'all Israel' is saved. Secondly, The salvation of the Gentiles is seen as detrimental to Paul's being in 2 Corinthians 11:24 and I Thessalonians 2:16. Thus, Israel was not responding to the salvation of the Gentiles in a way that produced their own salvation. Thirdly, jealousy is an intense desire that leads to negative results. Israel's jealousy is no different. Their jealousy of the Gentiles makes their feelings stronger16. 13Das, Andrew. Paul and the Jews. (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 2003) 110 14Ibid., 110 15Baker, “Paul and the Salvation of Israel”, 472 16Ibid., 472 Page 6 Although Romans 11:15 leads theologians to the conclusion that the rejection of Israel brings many Gentiles to Christ; the positive jealousy of Israel does not necessarily follow this truth. Consequently, the eschatological mass salvation of many national Israelis is not a result of their jealousy for the Gentiles' position in Christ. Instead, the message of the gospel and the witness of divinely blessed individuals will bring the 144,000 to salvation (foot). The remnant negates national salvation. Paul presents himself as an example of the existence of the remnant. Getting into the theme of Romans 11, we see that Paul gives many reasons for a remnant of believing Jews. Romans 9:6 points to this reality by stating “For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.” Paul gives an enigma that his audience had most likely not considered. Romans 11:1-7 states that there is a remnant. He states that this remnant is similar to the seven thousand who did not obey King Ahab in the days of Elijah. This brought hope to those Jews reading Romans for the first time. They saw that God did have a plan for His chosen people and that it included them. They must have been excited to see that God's grace had allowed them to experience His forgiveness and salvation (11:5, 6). However, the whole of Israel was not going to blessed with salvation. Instead, only those who accepted God's grace would be able to be counted as the remnant. This point will be discussed in detail later. The original audience who read and understood Romans 11 were aware that Paul was intimating important truths about ecclesiology. Without the illustration of the olive tree, the Roman church would not have fully understood God's plan for His chosen people or His plan for saved Gentiles. They would have continued to demean Israel and boast about their own blessings in the Lord. But Paul did explain the relationship between Israel and the Church and Page 7 the Gentiles. He did make a clear presentation of the rejection of Israel. Space does not allow for a long discussion on the olive tree illustration in Romans 11:16-24. But a summary is necessary so as not to avoid the context of Romans 11:15. According to Philip Esler, Paul spoke of the opposite of common oleiculture to explain his point to his people (foot). Paul taught that the cultivated tree had the necessary richness for the wild olive tree so that the Gentiles would not boast about being the wild olive tree branches. Paul used the idea of a wild olive branch purposefully, because he wanted to teach his Gentile audience to respect the Jews and to respect their uncommon position in the Lord. Paul explained that the Gentiles were an unnaturally grafted branch into a failed olive tree that still provided spiritual benefits to saved Gentiles 17 The present state of Israel allows for a remnant of Jewish believers but not for national salvation. It is equally important that scholars realize that the Present State of Israel allows for a remnant of Jewish believers but not for national salvation. In the days of Paul, as he wrote to the multi-cultural church at Rome, there were many believing Jews who wondered what had happened because of their parents' rejection of Christ. According to Zerbe, Israel had a passing hope of spiritual revival in their lifetime and that fact was hard for Paul to swallow. Paul saw many issues in jeopardy, including the promises of eternal blessing form God to Israel.18 Olsen posits a differing view by stating that the promises of God to Israel were all about land. Israel was given a job to protect and cultivate their land.19 Olsen believes that Israel has an “earthly 17 Philip Francis Esler, "Ancient oleiculture and ethnic differentiation: the meaning of the olivetree image in Romans 11." J. St. NT 26 (2003): 103-124. (accessed October 11, 2008). 18 Gordon Zerbe. "Jews and gentiles as people of the covenant : the background and message of Romans 11." Direction 12, no. 3 (July 1983): 20-28. (accessed November 24, 2008): 25 19Olsen, Future of Israel, 31-32 Page 8 calling” and that the church has a diametrically opposite “heavenly calling”. He believes that Israel's land was not squandered permanently by their sin. Instead he believes that the Scriptures teach that Israel has an “everlasting habitation” (Genesis 17:8).20 Olsen cites many theologians as he sets up and defends his argument that the the promises made to Israel are different than the promises made to the church.21 According to Olsen, the new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31-34 applies to Israel and the promises to the church are found in John 14:16, 17 and I Thess. 4:16, 17; among other passages.22 Having seen Olsen's position, The promises made to Israel are important in this discussion. To believe that the promises to Israel are both material and immaterial is not extra biblical (Galatians 3:8-10). Instead of focusing on spiritual promises; the Jews of the first century AD were more concerned with were obviously material and national promises. As a result, the Jews considered Jesus as their earthly King. But they had a desire for an earthly king that fed them and did not command them to work. They wanted Jesus to attack the Roman Empire and set up a new kingdom (Luke 19:38; John 6:15, 12:13). Once they realized that the Christ had plans for an eternal kingdom in the future, but no plans for a present earthly kingdom, they wanted no part in Him and His good news (Mt. 21:42-46). This line of reasoning is just one of many reasons to believe that the jealous Jews produced by the salvation and position of believing Gentiles does not turn into national or mass salvation of Jews at any time in the church age or afterwards. The rejection of Israel is a set of actions with consequences that cannot be completely reversed. With 20Ibid, 31-33 21Olsen, Future of Israel, 33-34 22Ibid, 35-42 Page 9 that foundational argument laid down, the next major line of reasoning bears definition and explanation. The rejection of Israel occurred with the voluntary actions of the people and of their God The rejection of Israel occurred with the voluntary actions of the people and of their God (foot). This is the author's definition of the rejection of Israel. This statement holds great importance to understanding this paper correctly. It is not complete to believe that Israel's rejection or hardening (11:11-15) resulted from the actions and attitudes of Israelites alone. Neither is the idea that God rejected Israel for no reason but His glory enough to understand the rejection of Israel. A few scholars' differing views on this topic show the rift amongst evangelicals on the reasons for the rejection of Israel. According to Olsen, Israel attempted to be a holy people by adhering to the letter of the law and not the spirit of the and the Spirit of the Lawgiver. Israel attempted to obey each and every ordinance instead of worshiping God with their hearts. Olsen does not recognize the rejection of God by Israel through direct disobedience (Romans 2:20-25). According to him, “Israel as a nation ... did not seek after the same kind of righteousness that Abraham had attained to. Rather, they sought righteousness in a false way, by the keeping of the law”.23 A deeper study of the Old Testament failures of Israel, shows a different reality (foot). On the other hand, Younce stays close to the context of Romans 9-11 and states “Chapter nine demonstrates the righteousness of God in his action in rejecting Israel while chapter ten points out that Israel's rejection is their own fault because they neglected the divine method of 23Olsen, Future of Israel, 49, 50, 52 Page 10 salvation offered them24. According to Olsen, “[unbelieving] Israel has been judicially hardened ” but he does not explain who or what hardened Israel.25 According to Baxter and Ziesler “the rejectors have been rejected”26. Looking at the individual work of Younce and the collective scholarly work of Baxter and Ziesler, there are good reasons to believe that the term “Israel's rejection” refers both to Israel rejecting the Lord and the Lord rejecting Israel. Not only did Israel reject the Lord but they rejected Him by insubordination and rebellion. This is seen by looking at the three instances of rejection in the days of the Law. John Johnson quotes and scrutinizes four theologians in an article at the turn of this century. According to Johnson, Karl Barth believed that Israel's rejection was “temporary, divinely planned and admonitory.27 If it can be proven that Israel disobeyed their Lord in the days of the Law and later in the days of Christ, then there is one more reason to believe there will not be a mass salvation of Israel. Rejection of God by a nation means that many individuals will suffer eternal condemnation. Those individuals cannot be redeemed later. This means that Israel's jealousy for the Gentiles' position does not lead to the positive result of mass salvation or national salvation because the vast majority Jews have and will reject the Lord. There are three phases to Israel's side of the rejection. 24Younce, Exegetical Interpretation, 7-8 25Olsen, Future of Israel, 73 26Baxter and Ziesler, Arboriculture, 28 27Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, Vol III, pt 3 (trans G W Bromiley and R J Ehrlich, Edinburgh Τ & Τ Clark, 1960) 220 quoted in John J. Johnson, "A New Testament understanding of the Jewish rejection of Jesus: four theologians on the salvation of Israel." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43, no. 2 (June 2000): 229-246. (accessed December 3, 2008). Page 11 The first time that Israel began to reject God was when Israel rejected God in the days of the divided kingdom. Not to be demeaning, but it seems oblivious to Olsen and possibly others that Israel was not practicing religion according to the law during the days the divided kingdom. Israel (the Northern Kingdom) and Judah both rejected God by not celebrating the Sabbath regularly for 490 years. What is rarely considered is that Israel's rejection of God and His ways began many centuries before they crucified Christ (foot). With statements like “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26), there is no reason to sidestep even the slightest set of comments on Israel's utter rejection of God during the divided kingdom. Israel did reject God beginning at the wilderness (Ezekiel 20; Hebrews 3:8) but God punished and forgave them for that rejection. But God did not forgive Israel without extensive discipline after they rejected Him in the days of the divided kingdom. Israel's rejection of God in the days of the divided kingdom was marked by sheer disobedience not meaningless obedience of the ceremonial law. Israel purposely abused the Sabbath and the Temple. Israel continued to reject the Lord in the days of the post-exilic prophets. The rejection of Israel did not culminate because of the captivity. Instead, their rejection grew when they returned to the promised land after the exile. One example is Haggai who was a prophet to a generation of Jews who had put off building the second temple for sixteen years(foot). They rejected God and would pay for that decision later. Similarly, Malachi proclaimed the word to Israelites who profaned the new temple and who failed to give God His due financially by withholding the Page 12 tithe. These actions are not merely isolated incidents of a continually growing resentment of the things of God by Israel (Jer. 42:14-16). Finally, Israel rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Israel did reach the culmination of their rejection in the days of Christ. Israel had little desire to follow the Messiah who was a type of the three hundred prophecies of the Old Testament (John 1:11, Matthew 2:15, Hosea 11:1) (foot). The people first saw Christ as an earthly King who would rescue them from Rome but the religious leaders convinced to see Christ as a barrier to Israeli independence( John 19:14-16). The Pharisees saw Christ as a hindrance to their cultic religion of denying perfect sacrifices and selling imperfect animals for profit. The Pharisees and the Sadducees to a lesser extent, had a stranglehold on the lives of the First century Jews. So when they needed to have Jesus killed, they twisted Christ's teachings to make Christ look politically rebellious. This move convinced the Jews that Jesus needed to be crucified and that the religious leaders were right. This rejection of God and His Son was the ultimate rebellion against the Lord. According to Olsen, The incarnation occurred because God wanted to bring new people into His eternal plan, while allowing Israel to misconceive the death of Christ. The Israelites trusted in themselves too much.28 With the rejection of Christ, Israel had sealed her present fate as a people punished for turning away from God and the Law (foot). But this is only half of the equation in the rejection of Israel. The voluntary actions of God must be included to understand the rejection of Israel. Just as much as Israel rejected her Lord, God rejected Israel (foot). God rejected Israel by sending them into captivity. As a result of Israel debasing the Sabbath and the Temple in the 28Olsen, Future of Israel, 53 Page13 days after Solomon, they were given the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities. The Lord punished His people with the seventy year exile in Babylon to make up for the 490 years of missed Sabbaths (Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10). Next, God rejected Israel by minimizing their national sovereignty. Even though Israel enjoyed a short term of independence in the days of the Maccabees, their freedom was shortlived, soon the Roman Empire took Israel as its own protectorate and set up a king to rule the people. Israel was not completely hampered by the whims of the Roman leaders of their day. They did have the freedom to do many important national activities at one of these activities they used a highly treasured liberty to kill their Lord. God rejected Israel by taking the message of the gospel to the Gentiles in a more successful pattern. When the 1st century Jews began to reject the Gospel in the days of Paul began to reject the message of the Gospel they had jealousy. The next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 'For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.' (Acts 13:44-47). It should be convincing to see that the Jews of Pisidian Antioch were jealous yet that jealousy did not turn into salvation. Instead of bringing the Jews back into a correct national relationship with Him, God rejected mass salvation of Israel in the first century because of the jealousy of the Jews. They did not want to receive Christ in order to get the Gentiles' position in Christ. Rather, they wanted the Gentiles to miss out on experiencing the Gospel so they were “blaspheming” Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:45-46). This occurred again in Acts 17:5 where Luke uses the Greek Page 14 term 'zhlosantes', which is comes from the lexical form 'zhlow', which is a similar word to the lexical form 'parazhlow'. Both words points to a negative attitude towards the fortune and blessings of another group of people. This terminology was discussed in the earlier section. It is also recorded in Acts 19:1-6 that many Jews were hardened by the Scripture. There is plenty of evidence that God's rejection of national Israel resulted in jealousy, by Israel, of the Gentiles' new found grace. This jealousy produced negative results and turned many Jews farther away from the Gospel both in spiritual and physical proximity as clearly seen in Acts. A small corollary argument to this is that the people of Jerusalem who called for the crucifixion of Christ that early First Century Passover prophesied their own doom by stating “His blood be on us, and on our children” (Matthew 24:27). The Jews of Jerusalem and the synagogues of Greece and Asia Minor are the ultimate example of the branches broken off in Romans 11:17-24. Israel's jealousy did not produce positive results when Paul preached the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles. God hardened Israel in a similar way to how he hardened Pharaoh. God hardened Israel in a similar way to how he hardened Pharaoh. Although there are few scholars who realize this connection, it is appropriate to compare Romans 11:7, 25 to Romans 9:16-18. God has a way of hardening any individual or individuals He chooses in order to bring more glory to Him. God hardened the people of Israel at the same time as they hardened themselves. He did this in a fashion that was similar to His hardening of Pharaoh. There are couple of reasons for this position. First, God hardens whom he will for His glory (Rom. 9:18- 20). He chooses people that have great influence in the world to be hardened so that He will be glorified. This is exactly what happened at the crucifixion. God hardened the Israelites to get 15 them to kill Jesus so that the resurrection and the ensuing preaching of the Gospel would bring glory to the Trinity. Secondly, Scripture says that God did harden Israel in a similar way to Pharaoh. Verses like Romans 9:16, 18, 27, 31-33; 11:8-11 all point to the fact that God hardened Israel. The idea of the hardening of Israel is in the same context as the hardening of Pharaoh. So it is logical to arrive at the persuasion that Israel's hardening was similar to the hardening of Pharaoh. This rejection is not full and complete. The rejection of Israel, is not a full and complete rejection. Instead, the rejection of Israel is partial both ways. Not only did Israel as nation partially reject their Lord, but also, God as their Lord rejected the same part of Israel that rejected Him. Although the idea of a tribe or people in the days of Israel is an idea that if some did it then all did it, that is not the case in the rejection of Israel (foot). God did not allow salvation to the individuals of Israel who rejected Him. Instead God allowed them to experience chastening. But this chastening did not occur to all of Israel. This will be considered further in the section about the Remnant. Because God hardened Israel at the crucifixion, this gives scholars another reason to believe that Israel's jealousy of the Gentiles' position does not lead to national salvation. Millions of Jews have and will reject the Messiah. They cannot participate in national salvation because they have already rejected the Lord and the Messiah, who turned out to be same person. Conclusion Paul taught that the present state of Israel allows for a remnant of Jewish believers but not for national salvation. He also taught that the present state of the Gentiles does not allow for boasting of position. Paul did not succinctly state that the Gentiles provoking Israel to jealousy Page 16 would ultimately cause Israel's mass salvation in the last days. Baker and Das both assume this position and are experts in defending this truth Dispensational theologians who believe in Israel's jealousy as a negative emotion do not have to accept that all Israel will be lost in the Tribulation. Many Jews will be saved in the Church age and 144,000 will be saved in the Tribulation (Rev 9) But there are may reasons to not accept the traditional understanding of Israel's jealousy of the Gentiles' position in Christ. As previously stated, the text of Romans 11 teaches that Israel's jealousy does not necessarily allow for a later universal national salvation. According to Paul, jealousy and salvation are separate (Rom 11:8-15). This jealousy is also negative as seen in previous Pauline passages and Pauline examples (Rom. 10:19, Acts 13:44-47, 17:5, 19:1-6). The text of Romans 11 also instructs its readers to see that Israel will be blessed through the remnant. The remnant is the Jews who have and will accept the revelation that they have been given through the activity of God. The remnant is just a portion of all of the descendants of Jacob. But those who do not accept the revelation will not be saved and cannot be saved later. In the Tribulation, the remnant will also exist, negating salvation for those who deny the revelation of the gospel as presented by the the two witnesses and the angels. This leads theologians to realize that national salvation is not taught in the New Testament. Incidentally, the present state of Israel allows for a remnant of Jewish believers but not for national salvation. The vast majority of Jews in the church age have rejected the revelation of the gospel and Paul's teachings in Romans 11 should not be misrepresented any longer. BIBLIOGRAPHY Annillo, George John, “The ‘People of God’ in the Olive Tree of Romans Eleven.” M. Th. Thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1977. The author believes that Romans 11 ultimately pertains to the lesser studied theological subject of eschatology. The author believes that the olive tree illustration refers to the channel of blessing that God uses through the ages. The author does not give a verse by verse exegesis of Romans 11, but rather exegetes selected passages in the chapter. The author presupposes that a dispensational hermeneutic is correct. Baker, Murray. "Paul and the salvation of Israel: Paul's ministry, the motif of jealousy, and Israel's yes," Catholic Biblical Quarterly 67, no. 3 (2005): 469-484. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001476961&site=ehost-live(accessed November 24, 2008). The author of this article argues for a negative understanding of the jealousy of Israel in Romans 11. He believes that Paul is telling his readers that Israel's jealouy is not the reason for any jew being saved. Barth, Karl Church Dogmatics, Vol. 3, pt 3 (trans G W Bromiley and R J Ehrlich, Edinburgh Τ & Τ Clark, 1960): 220 quoted in Johnson, John J. "A New Testament understanding of the Jewish rejection of Jesus: four theologians on the salvation of Israel." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43, no. 2 (June 2000): 229-246. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0000005656&site=ehost-live(accessed December 3, 2008). Baxter, A G., and John A. Ziesler. 1985. "Paul and the arboriculture : Romans 11:17-24." Journal for the Study of the New Testament , no. 24: 25-32. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0000948552&site=ehost-live (accessed November 24, 2008). The authors of this article believe that Paul's understanding is cloudywhen it comes to the olive tree farming practices of the First Century A. D. They believe that Paul may have used the idea of olive tree branch grafting in an incorrect manner. Esler, Philip Francis, "Ancient oleiculture and ethnic differentiation: the meaning of the olivetree image in Romans 11." Journal for the Study New Testament 26 (2003): 103-124. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001382273&site=ehost-live(accessed October 11, 2008). Esler believes that Paul is going against tradition by using a totally radical olive tree grafting as an illustration. Paul uses this illustration to show how different the relationship between Israel and the church is compared to regular life. 18 Grisanti, Michael A. “The Progress of God’s Program for Jews and Gentiles as Pictured in Romans Eleven.” M. Th. Thesis, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, 1986. The author believes that Romans 11 relates to several theological subjects. Extensive exegesis on Romans 11:1-32. The author presents excellent research on the relationship of Romans 1-10 to Romans 11. The author concludes that Israel is not rejected by God. Johnson, John J. "A New Testament understanding of the Jewish rejection of Jesus: four theologians on the salvation of Israel." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43, no. 2 (June 2000): 229-246. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0000005656&site=ehost-live(accessed December 3, 2008). Kyrychenko, Alexander. "The consistency of Romans 9-11." Restoration Quarterly 45, no 4 (2003): 215-227. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001483995&site=ehost-live (accessed November 24, 2008). This author gives an indepth look at Romans 9-11 in outline form. He also gives many helpful arguments for a better understanding of Romans 11. Olsen, Walter P., “The Future of Israel According to the Book of Romans.” Bach. of Div. Thesis, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, 1966. The Author gives an extensive explanation of the problems facing the Jews at the time of the writing of Romans 11. The author addresses these problems with an exegesis of Romans 11. The author does not have an obvious conclusion but ends with a chapter that explains the fate of Israel. Waymeyer, Matt. "The dual status of Israel in Romans 11:28." Master's Seminary Journal 16, no. 1 (Spring 2005): 57-71. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001559193&site=ehost-live(accessed December 3, 2008). Williamson, D. Paul, “Paul’s Use of the Old Testament in Romans 11:25-27.” M. Div. Thesis, Grace Theological Seminary, 1983. The author explains in depth how Paul uses Isaiah 59:20, 21 in Romans 11:25-27. The author believes that Romans 11:25-27 teaches in national salvation for Israel. The author researches the Greek terms used in Romans 11:25-27. Younce, Dale Richard, “An Exegetical interpretation of the Figure of the Olive Tree of Romans Eleven.” M. Th. Thesis, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, 1986. The author lists five present theological understandings of the olive tree illustration. The author does a narrow exegetical study on the olive tree illustration in Romans 11. The author believes that the olive tree refers to the Abrahamic covenant. 19 Zerbe, Gordon. "Jews and gentiles as people of the covenant : the background and message of Romans 11," Direction 12, no. 3 (July 1983): 20-28. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=rfh&AN=ATLA0001559193&site=ehost-live(accessed November 24, 2008) . SOURCES CONSULTED Beker, Christiaan J., “Romans 9-11 in the Context of the Early Church” Princeton Seminary Bulletin, Suppl. Issue, No.1 [1990]:40-55. Donaldson, Terence L., “’Riches for the Gentiles’ (Rom 11:12): Israel’s rejection and Paul’s Gentile Mission”, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 112, No. 1 [Spring 1993]:81-98. Glancy, Jennifer, “Israel vs. Israel in Romans 11:25-32”, Union Seminary Quarterly Review Vol. 45, No. 3-4, [1991]:191-203. Hofius, Otfried. “’All Israel Will be Saved’: Divine Salvation and Israel’s Deliverance in Romans 9-11” Translated by Judith Gundry Volf, Princeton Seminary Bulletin, Suppl. Issue, No.1 [1990]:19-39. Migliore, Daniel L. "The Church and Israel : Romans 9-11: the 1989 Frederick Neumann symposium on the theological interpretation of Scripture." Princeton Seminary Bulletin 11 (1990): 1-139. (accessed November 24, 2008). Van Buren, Paul M., “The Church and Israel: Romans 9-11” Princeton Seminary Bulletin, Suppl. Issue, No.1 [1990]:5-18. The author explains and resolves three problems associated with the exegesis of Romans 9-11. The author concludes that the Church, as his generation knows it to be, should be changed dramatically because of Romans 9-11.